Waste Management

Exploration and Production Waste

Specific types of wastes are produced during oil and natural gas
exploration and production operations, the largest portion of which is
naturally occurring material removed from the subsurface. Exploration
and Production wastes fall into four primary categories:

• Produced water -- the saline water brought to the surface with oil
and gas;
• Drilling waste -- the rock cuttings and fluids that are produced
from drilling a new wellbore into the subsurface;
• Associated wastes -- a broad category of a variety of small
volume waste streams that encompasses all other types of
wastes uniquely "associated" with oil and natural gas production;
and
• Industrial wastes -- these are the wastes that are not uniquely
associated with oil and gas production that are nonetheless
generated at well sites. Examples include paint, spent solvents,
and packaging materials.

The first three categories of E&P wastes are managed under special
provisions of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) that
recognize the unique nature of these waste streams. Requirements for
the management and disposal of these three categories of wastes are
set by state regulations. The latter category of wastes, industrial
wastes, are managed and disposed under the same set of state and
federal regulations that apply to such wastes from any other industry.

Because exploration and production in the United States takes place at

over 860,000 separate sites across 33 states, no single mechanism
exists for tabulating the volume of wastes generated by the industry.
Nevertheless, it is important to the industry to understand its waste
volumes and how they are managed.

API has conducted statistical surveys of the industry to gather

information about E&P wastes -- most recently for 1995. This survey
updated a survey conducted a decade earlier covering 1985. Both
studies examined the volume of produced water, drilling waste, and
associated wastes generated as a result of exploration and production
of oil and gas in the U.S., and how those wastes were managed and
disposed.

The total volume of waste generated annually by the oil and gas
industry decreased substantially over the decade between 1985 and
1995, as shown by the table below:

Million barrels per

1995 1985
year
Produced water 17,910.7 21,000
Drilling waste 148.7 361
Associated wastes(a) 20.6 12
Total 18,080 21,373
(a) In 1985, completion fluids were
excluded from associated wastes. In 1995,
completion fluids were included, and
accounted for 43% of the total volume of
associated wastes.

The management and disposal of E&P wastes also

shows a trend toward less discharge and more reuse,
recycling, and reclamation. Because produced water
accounts for over 98% of total E&P wastes, it is not
surprising that the largest share of wastes are injected
to the subsurface. This injection may be back to the subsurface
formation from which it was removed (used for enhanced oil recovery)
or for disposal in specially selected formations underground. All types
of injection must follow extensive government regulations.

(Acticle from http://www.api.org/aboutoilgas/sectors/explore/waste-

management.cfm)

Don’t Break the Chocolate!

Ghirardelli Chocolate Company replaced cardboard boxes with a
fleet of reusable totes for internal distribution of its chocolate
products. This saves $2.6 million over the life of the project, prevents
420 tons of soiled cardboard waste, and most importantly, reduces
chocolate breakage.

Reusable Sharps Containers

Alta Bates Medical Center switched to reusable sharps
containers from disposable. The new containers will eliminate 45 tons
of plastic waste and reduce purchasing by $45,000 a year.

Waste Prevention in Real-Time

PeopleSoft installed four digital multi-function units (combination
of printer, copier, and FAX) to replace 32 office machines, and added
eight duplexing modules to existing printers. This pilot project
reveals the effectiveness of two different technologies for preventing
paper waste. If implemented facility-wide, the project will prevent 44
tons of office paper waste and save $400,000 a year, mainly in
reduced office machine leasing costs.

A New Twist to Candy Manufacturing

American Licorice Company upgraded their production line by
replacing an older inefficient drying system with a new spiral dryer.
The old drying system didn't dry candy consistently. Imperfectly dried
candy was scrapped. By uniformly drying candy the spiral dryer will
eliminate 150 tons of candy-waste, reduce the amount of floor space
necessary for the drying process, conserve energy, and cut costs by at
least $265,000 a year.
Efficient Plastic Film Manufacturing
Pechiney Plastic Packaging, Inc. uses a re-pelletizer to capture
the plastic scrap from one production line and prepare it as the raw
material for another product. This not only prevents 150 tons of plastic
waste but reduces virgin material purchasing by a minimum of
$177,000 a year.

Reusable Plastic Pallets

ANG Newspapers replaced disposable wooden pallets with reusable
plastic pallets throughout their internal distribution system. This
project eliminates 37 tons of wooden pallet waste and saves $36,000
every year in pallet maintenance costs. The project improved the
efficiency of ANG's distribution system by standardizing pallet size, and
reduced the risk of accidents caused by broken pallets.

Packaging Scrap Solution

When Peerless Coffee changed from packaging one size product to
another, its old packaging machines had to be manually recalibrated.
Throughout this calibration process, Mylar packaging flowed through
the machines, ending up as waste. Peerless purchased new packaging
machinery that can be calibrated electronically, preventing 9 tons of
metalized Mylar packaging waste and saving $100,000 each year in
supply, labor, and disposal costs.

Clean and Green

Safeway switched from 55-gallon supply drums to a bulk liquid
storage tank for cleaning solution. Buying cleanser in bulk gives
Safeway a 15% price reduction, prevents the creation of 3 tons of
plastic-drum waste a year, reduces spills and improves worker safety.

Paperless Office
The East Bay Regional Park District uses software to make
business processes paperless, and to prevent the unnecessary
printing and disposal of dated forms, publications, and letterhead.

Dry Hands, Low Costs

Alameda County Medical Center replaced multi-fold towels with roll
towel dispensers in the restrooms at all three of its campuses. The
project prevents 25 tons of paper towel waste a year and reduces labor
required to refill the dispensers by 60%.

Reusable Cloth Gift-wrap

FabricWrap conducted a test market for reusable cloth gift-wrap.
Approximately 467 tons of disposable paper gift-wrap is thrown out
every year in Alameda County. FabricWrap's product provides an
attractive reusable alternative that is competitively priced.

(Article from http://www.stopwaste.org/home/index.asp?page=224)